Ms
Fearon met with Deputy Doherty at Leinster House ahead of his upcoming trip to
Australia to engage with the Irish Diaspora.

Ms
Fearon, who represents the constituency of Newry Armagh, said:

“Figures
for the north of Ireland show that in May 2012 21.4% of those aged 18 – 24 were
unemployed. This means that 21,000 young
people cannot contribute their skills and talents to the local labour
market. In the south it is estimated
that 70,000 young people will be forced to emigrate this year alone.

“While
statistics provide quantifiable figures they do not take into account the
stress and pain caused to young people, their families and communities by
emigration nor do they account for the loss to our economy and society at
large.

“I
am 21 years old and have just graduated from college. Many of my classmates and friends see
emigration as the only option for them as there are simply no job prospects in
Ireland.

“I
am proud to support Sinn Féin’s ‘No Jobs, No Future, No Way’ campaign which
seeks to challenge government both North and South to develop strategies for
youth employment.

“I
also commend my colleague Pearse Doherty TD who will go to Australia next month
to actively engage with the Irish community there. He will have the opportunity to meet some of
those who have been forced to emigrate to find employment and to engage with
Australian trade unionists to ensure Irish workers are not being exploited.

“I
have received a copy of Pearse’s itinerary for the trip and I will be in
contact with young people in Australia to encourage them to attend events at
which Pearse will speak.”